For nearly three decades, the owners of 344 beach huts at Mudeford Sands in Dorset have benefited from a 50% discount on their second home council tax. That arrangement is now set to end, sparking anger within the unique coastal community.
A Community Feeling Targeted
On a cold January morning, the colourful wooden huts perched on the sandy headland present a postcard image. However, the mood among owners is far from idyllic. The local authority, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, has pushed ahead with plans to charge the full second-home council tax rate.
This will see the annual bill for each hut jump from £618 to £1,236 based on 2025/26 charges. The council, which says it faces an "unprecedented, ongoing financial crisis," argues the change delivers fairness and consistency for all second-home owners in the area.
'An Unjustified Money Grab'
Beach hut owners vehemently disagree. They point out that their properties, some as small as 150 square feet, lack mains electricity and water. Furthermore, a legal covenant prohibits anyone from staying in them between October and March.
Stephen Bath, a professional photographer whose family has owned huts since 1964, bought his for £3,000 in 1982 and later spent £8,500 on a rebuild. He now estimates its value at around £500,000.
"It’s just a hut on the beach," Mr Bath stated. "That seemed fair enough for the past 30 years, but now the council have put it up to the same value as for a one-bedroom house. This is just an unjustified money grab by a desperate council."
Owners already pay an annual license fee of £3,400 to the council for the ground the huts occupy. The combined cost of fees and the new tax will amount to roughly £100 per week.
Soaring Values and Forced Sales
The appeal of these basic structures has seen their values skyrocket, particularly following a Covid-driven surge in demand for seaside escapes. Prices that were in the low thousands in the 1980s now command up to £575,000.
The council notes that this sum exceeds the local average house price of £313,000. However, owners argue that not all are wealthy, with some families having held their huts for generations and being unable to afford one at today's prices.
The tax hike is now forcing difficult decisions. Hayley Reynolds is trying to sell her family's sea-facing hut, bought for £4,000 in 1986, for £430,000 to fund a home conversion following her brother's life-changing accident.
"The council have realised there is wealth they can get at," she said. "The extra tax will only make it harder to sell." Nine huts currently display 'For Sale' signs.
Members of the Mudeford Sandbanks Beach Hut Association have also highlighted the condition of communal facilities they rely on, arguing that they enhance the beauty spot for visitors through their own maintenance efforts.
Councillor Mike Cox maintained the council's position: "We understand this change may be disappointing for some owners, but it is important to apply council tax policy consistently and fairly." He added that the authority must use "all levers at its disposal" to raise funds and protect essential services.
For the tight-knit community of 'hutters,' the future of their unique slice of Dorset coastline now feels increasingly uncertain under the weight of new financial pressures.
